GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.---Alyssa Scholten, a junior at Calvin College, is the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2016 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.

Scholten, majoring in speech pathology, currently carries a 4.0 GPA. The award was presented to Scholten at the NCAA III Volleyball Championships banquet Wednesday evening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Elite 90, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

A junior middle hitter, Scholten is from Byron Center and is a graduate of Grand Rapids Covenant Christian High School. She has been a part of three NCAA III Tournament volleyball teams at Calvin. The Knights are scheduled to face Emory University Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Kolf Sports Center on the campus of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

"This is an incredible honor for Alyssa and our entire team is thrilled to see her receive this prestigious honor," said Calvin women's volleyball coach Amber Warners. "She is a model student-athlete who works to diligently to make the most of the gifts that have been given to her."

Scholten is the fifth Calvin student-athlete to receive the award. Other individuals to receive the accolade from Calvin include John Admiraal (men's soccer, 2015), Brett Stoughton (men's swimming and diving, 2015), Brad Wassink (men's soccer, 2011) and Melissa Oosterhouse (women's tennis, 2011).

For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite-90.